Leclerc controls final test day at Silverstone

Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc was fastest on the final test day of pre-season ahead of this weekend’s opening FIA European Formula 3 Championship round at Silverstone.

The Van Amersfoort Racing driver was quickest in both the morning and afternoon sessions, with his morning time of 1m50.574s believed to be the quickest time set by an Formula 3 car around this configuration of the Silverstone circuit.

Leclerc was in fact the only driver to get below 1m51s all day, with Antonio Giovinazzi finishing second for Jagonya Ayam with Carlin, 0.467s back. The Italian, in his second season with the team in the series was just 0.013s faster than George Russell of Carlin, whose team-mate Callum Ilott was fourth.

Giovanazzi had caused the only red flag period of the morning session when he was forced to stop beside the circuit having seen his steering column lock in place heading into the quick Maggotts/Becketts complex. Luckily for the Italian, he did not hit anything and was able to stop the car without causing anymore damage, and was able to resume testing in the afternoon.

Fifth fastest was Formula 3 veteran Felix Rosenqvist in the leading Mercedes-powered entry, with the Prema Powerteam driver just ahead of Team West-Tec F3’s Raoul Hyman, who had only been confirmed to race this season in the last few days. Hyman was the cause of the only afternoon stoppage, when his fuel pump failed on his Mercedes-powered car.

Reigning German Formula 3 Champion Markus Pommer was seventh quickest for Motopark, just ahead of 2013 German F3 Champion Marvin Kirchhöfer of EuroInternational, while former EuroInternational driver Michele Beretta was ninth in the leading Mücke Motorsport machine. The top ten was rounded out by 2014 Italian Formula 4 Champion and current Ferrari Driver Academy driver Lance Stroll of Prema Powerteam.

With testing over, the thirty-six drivers and twelve teams can now focus purely on the first race of the season this weekend, which comes as support to the opening round of the 2015 World Endurance Championship.